The Bake Off
by TheSparkler
Summary: Class assignments plus flour everywhere equals the perfect pastry! When Adrien must learn something new, it is up to creative Marinette to teach him - now if only she could find the right skill to teach... (Author's Note: This story was originally written to be a oneshot. Please let me know what you think in the comments. Happy reading!)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys! This is my first fic and I am super excited about it! You can find me on Twitter at TheOneWhoSparks for news, updates, and more.**

 **Happy reading!**

* * *

"You're getting flour everywhere!"

"But it's more fun this way!"

Marinette didn't quite know how she ended up doing this – with _Adrien_ of all people – but here they were, making a mess out of the kitchen for the second afternoon in a row. Madam Bustier had assigned them to learn a new skill from a classmate, then present the results during class. Today's class had featured Alya's mixtape (thanks to Nino) and Marinette herself, who had been coached by Rose in the art of scrapbooking (they had turned out better than she thought they would). Adrien had been gone all week and needed a partner, and everyone else had already been a teacher – except Marinette, much to Chloe's dismay. He had wanted to learn how to sew, but after sticking himself with the needle for the 3rd time, Marinette suggested they try something different.

"The goal here is to make the cake, not wear it," she laughed, wiping the flour out of her eyes (next time, _she_ gets the electric mixer).

"It's not my fault," Adrien chuckled, scooping some of the flour off of the counter, "how was I supposed to know to start on the first setting? Go big or go home, right?"

He handed her a damp washcloth to clean off her face (again). At least they were making progress this time; most of it was done, they just had to bake it and frost.

"What next?" asked eager student.

"Turn on the oven to 350° and grab the non-stick pan from under the sink" she replied, giving the batter one last mix, resisting the urge to lick the spoon.

"Can do!" Adrien replied. He shuffled over to the oven, and traced his finger around the multitude of buttons, knobs, and numbers that spanned its surface. "Just as soon as I figure out how to do that…" he muttered, wanting to give it a try but not wanting to burn her house down in the attempt.

"Here," she said, reaching around him to the temperature reading and clicking it on.

Marinette did her best not to smile (too much, anyway) as she watched him fumble around the kitchen in search of the pan.

"Have you really never made a cake before?" She asked, pouring the batter.

"My dad's not much of a cook," Adrien replied, smiling at her behind her back. _This is so much better than trying to sew,_ he though, looking down at the multiple band-aids on his left hand.

They got the batter into the oven without incident, then started the clean-up process (fortunately, he did know how to do dishes). When the oven timer went off, Marinette couldn't help but to laugh as Adrien visibly jumped and looked around for the source of the noise.

They pulled the pan out (Adrien stood back as a safe distance) and moved it to the rack to cool.

"Do you help your parents a lot?" Adrien inquired, watching her work with ease, as though she had done this a thousand times before.

"Sometimes," she responded, retying her apron and brushing up some stray sugar. "Sometimes I like baking on my own – it's kind of fun making a giant mess in a bowl, then putting it into the oven and pulling out something completely new."

Adrien contemplated what she said as she opened the fridge and pulled out several containers of multi-colored frosting.

"Sorry for the bright colors," Marinette said, fishing for a bag of frosting tips from a large drawer. "They're left over from the batch of cupcakes my parents made yesterday for a baby shower."

"I like them," Adrien replied, watching her skilled hands quickly fill the piping bags and fit on the tips. "They're happy colors" ( _like you_ ).

Marinette ducked her head to hide the blush that was creeping up her cheeks. She wasn't used to people complimenting her (except Tikki, of course). She spread the initial coat of white frosting, then turned to her partner.

"Pick a color, any color," she said, gesturing to the bags on the counter in front of them.

Adrien reached for the tube of sunshine yellow, then changed his mind and switched to the blue ( _like her eyes_ ).

Marinette took the green, and started to pipe a flower in the lower left-hand corner as Adrien make indiscriminate shapes across the top of the cake – clouds, she realized, to match the pink petals blossoming from her flower stem.

Adrien took a step back and tilted his head, contemplating the scene that was unfolding before them.

"We're missing something…" he muttered, as he scanned the colorful bags of frosting.

Marinette did the same, then realized what they needed.

"Here," she said, grabbing the yellow, "we need a sun!"

"Perfect!" Adrien clapped, accepting the frosting and moving back toward the counter. As Marinette watched, he piped a large yellow circle in the top left corner, then added wiggly lines around the edges. When he was done, he wrote his initials in the corner, and handed her the tube with a flourish.

"My lady," he said, presenting the frosting with a bow, "will you do me the honors of signing this delicious creation?"

"I can't do that, it's your cake! And how do you know if it's any good? You haven't eaten it yet!" she added.

"Of course it's amazing, it's your recipe!" Adrien insisted, putting the piping bag in her hand. "I couldn't have done it without you."

Marinette, blushing furiously this time, finally accepted the bag and added a swirly " _MDC_ " next to Adrien's ultra-straight lettering. Together, they carefully transferred the cake to a container to take it to school the next day.

"May I see?" asked Mrs. Chang, walking in from the bakery downstairs.

Adrien lifted the lid, revealing the flowery scene within.

"It's perfect!" she proclaimed, kissing Marinette on the head before heading down the hall.

"Perfect," Adrien agreed, watching Marinette double check that the container's lid was secure.

 _Just perfect._


	2. Chapter 2: Bonus

The next day dawned sunny and bright – and waaaaay to early.

 _That's what I get for staying out so late on patrol!_ Marinette thought as she pulled on her flats and grabbed her bag. Tikki flew into the pocket as the pulled open the trapdoor and headed downstairs.

"Good morning, Marinette!" waved her (way too cheery) dad. "We thought you'd never get up!"

"I have a presentation, remember?" she replied as she dumped milk onto her cereal ( _it seemed to move in slow motion – or was that just her?_ ).

"You'd better get going!" Sabine said as Marinette finished, and handed her the cake carrier. "You'll need extra time to make sure you don't drop it on your way!"

"Bye Momma, bye Poppa!" Marinette called as she left the bakery.

* * *

The walk to school seemed extra long, but she still made it with time to spare.

"Ooo, let me see!" cried Alya, meeting her in front of the building.

Marinette carefully set down the container and lifted the lid to show her, just as Nino and Adrien came up the steps.

"Dude!" shouted Nino, "that's so awesome! I never knew you could cook!"

"It helps when you have a great teacher. I couldn't have done it without Marinette," Adrien replied, winking at the now-blushing girl ( _why did she keep blushing? Did he embarrass her? He'd have to remember to ask Alya sometime_ ).

The boys continued into the school, while Marinette secured the lid and stood up, all traces of exhaustion gone.

"I have to…to…stand…in front of the class…. with Adrien…and talk…"

"Pull it together, girl!" said Alya, patting her on the back. "You guys have got this assignment in the bag! There's no way it could go wrong – what could possibly happen?"

"They could hear me!" wailed Marinette, the suppressed panic of the last two days finally starting to sink in.

"Look at me," replied Alya, turning her friend's shoulders so that they stood face-to-face. "This is your thing! Just stand there and look pretty, and let Adrien do all the talking. He's the one being graded anyway, so just relax! If worse comes to worse, I'll pull the fire alarm or something, ok?"

"But what about Chloe?" whispered Marinette, glancing at the blonde ponytail as it flounced by them.

"If she starts being a jerk, just throw cake at her," said Alya, with a (mostly) straight face.

Marinette, unable to decide whether or not Alya was kidding, took a deep breath. _I can do this, I can do this…_ she thought, and picked up the carrier from by her feet.

"Let's go!" cried Alya, charging forward into the school before Marinette had a chance to change her mind.

* * *

"Next up, we have Adrien and his teacher, Marinette," announced Ms. Bustier.

Marinette grabbed the container from under her desk and followed Adrien to the front of the room.

"So for my skill, I tried to learn how to sew," started Adrien, gesturing to his (now bandage-free) hands, "but that didn't end too well, so Marinette suggested we try something different."

He turned to his dark-haired classmate, who carefully pulled the cake out of the carrier and set the sheet on the teacher's desk behind her, to avoid any chance of dropping it.

There was a collective "ooooooooohhhhhhhh" from around the room, and several people leaned forward in their chairs to get a better view of the frosted flowers.

Marinette took a shaky breath ( _she could do this_ ) and smiled as Adrien continued.

"We used Marinette's cake recipe, and she taught me how to measure everything correctly so that the cake would cook properly in the oven. She also taught me how to use the oven," he added, earning a laugh from most of the class.

"After it baked, we used frosting to decorate the top, starting with the basic layer of white and going from there," explained Marinette, gesturing to the tray behind her. "If you would like, you can come and see it up close before we cut it," she said, looking at her teacher for approval.

Ms. Bustier nodded, and most of the class clamored to the front – all but two.

"That's so dumb," drawled Chloe. "Anyone can bake, all you have to do it throw stuff in a bowl and stick it in the oven. Adri-kins is perfect already, why does he need to 'learn' something else?"

"Chloe," warned Ms. Bustier, causing the blonde to shrivel, though only slightly.

 _If looks could kill_ thought Marinette, busying herself with the carrying container to hide the smile that was creeping its way onto her face.

After everyone had had a chance to look, Marinette cut the cake into squares, and Alya helped to pass out the plates to their classmates. Everyone accepted one, including Chloe (though she looked doubtful, as though it might poison her). Adrien gave Marinette the piece with their initials, and claimed the sun for himself.

* * *

Nino and Adrien turned around to talk to Marinette and Alya while they ate.

 _At least now she's not blushing so much anymore_ Adrien though, before noticing some yellow frosting on Marinette's cheek and reaching forward with a napkin to wipe it off. _Wait…never mind_.

Meanwhile, Chloe had once again opened her big mouth.

"I don't get why you would do things for yourself when you can have other people do them for you," she remarked. "Daddy hires a _professional_ chef to make us food," she added, glancing at Marinette and waiting for her reaction.

Unfortunately for the blue-eyed girl, Chloe's words had their desired effect. Marinette ducked her head and bit her lip, doing her best not to show how much the blow shook her.

"Don't listen to her, Marinette. She wouldn't know hard work if it took her out shopping," assured Nino, patting her on the shoulder. Marinette looked up and smiled, thankful to have her friends to support her.

"Should we pull out 'Plan B'?" murmured Alya.

"Which one was plan B?" whispered Marinette, frantically trying to remember what Alya had been plotting before school. _I wanted support, not a heart attack!_

"I vote we pull the fire alarm," chimed in Nino, earning a wicked smile from Alya and a surprised look from Adrien.

"One blonde-haired bug-out, coming up!" whispered Alya, before rising from her seat and picking up her plate, headed for the center aisle.

"Alya wait!" panicked Marinette, grasping desperately for her friend.

Alya laughed quietly. Stepping around Marinette's arm, she started down the stairs.

"Alya wait, take mine too!" shouted Adrien, standing up sharply with his half-full plate and stepping forward – directly into Alya.

"WHOOOAAAA" she shrieked, grabbing for the desk behind her and fighting to remain upright. Adrien, meanwhile, had failed to catch himself as he tripped over the stairs, sending his plate – and the pink-and-yellow frosting – flying across the aisle.

"AAAHHHHHHHH" screeched Chloe, unable to protect herself from the incoming sugary concoction.

"LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO MY – MY HAIR!"

"Chloe, I am so sorry!" cried Adrien, grabbing some nearby napkins. "Here, let me help you!"

"Don't touch me! SABRINAAAAA!" Chloe wailed, running out of the room as the class burst into laughter behind her.

"Chloe, wait!" Sabrina called, quickly running after her. Ms. Bustier followed, hoping to catch the girls before Chloe called her father (again).

"Way to go Adrien!" cheered Alya, reaching down to pick him up off the floor and giving him a high-five.

Adrien, accepting the high-five, tried to brush it off.

"I didn't mean to, honestly, it was an accident! I stood up and it just kind of… happened!"

"Riiiiiight," laughed Alya, giving him a pat on the back. "An accident…"

Marinette, meanwhile was still in shock.

"Did he just…"

"Oh, he totally did!" cried Alya.

"Way to go, dude!" chimed Nino.

"It was an accident…" Adrien tried again, "really!" But even he couldn't keep a straight face at the thought of Chloe with pink and yellow hair ( _though I really do prefer blue…_ ).

* * *

"I still can't believe that happened," said Marinette, as she and Alya left the school for the day.

"Marinette, wait up!" Adrien came running out after them. "You forgot your cake container," he said, panting slightly.

"Oh, thank you!" she said, accepting the carrier.

"Anytime! Thanks again for the help, Mari!" Adrien called, as he climbed into his car.

"He…he called me… Mari…" sighed Marinette, staring after him and swaying where she stood.

Alya just shook her head and laughed. "C'mon girl, let's get you home before you start swooning – again."


	3. Chapter 3: The Recipe

_Dear Adrien,_

 _Here is the cake recipe you asked for! This is the same one we used for class, and I've added some notes to help you along the way. Let me know if you have any questions, and good luck!_

 _All the best,_

 _Marinette_

* * *

 _Email Attachment: One Page_

Ingredients:

½ cup of butter

2 eggs

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1 ½ cups of flour

1 ¾ teaspoons of baking powder

½ cup of milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the sugar and butter. Beat in the eggs, _(one at a time)_ , then stir in the vanilla. Separately, combine the flour and baking powder, then _(carefully!)_ add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in the milk until the batter is smooth, then pour it into a greased 9x9 pan _(remember, that means 9 inches by 9 inches)_ and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. _You will know that it's done when it springs back to the touch and a toothpick in the middle comes out clean._

 _Note: This recipe also works well for cupcakes, and will make about a dozen, depending on how large you make them – the frosting is up to you!_

 _\- M_


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